help with a swarm trap

I thought about setting up an old ladder stand and putting one of them on that. Does that sound like an idea?

I have scouts checking out old hives with no frames setting on a table.
You can put a few used and new frames in each box with a top and bottom and a lure and see what happens.
Good luck.

The only swarm that I've ever caught was in a hive on top of my deer stand. It was bad getting it down though since the steps are only wide enough for one foot. It was heavy and awkward. This year I made a shelf between a step and the tree. It's only 5-6 feet up. No luck so far though.

Lemon Grass Essential Oil at the health food store use as lure. I've been lucky enough to catch 4 swarms in traps this year all about 4 feet high. I set them on top of fence posts and 55 gal barrels, easy to get to that way.. This is my first year trying and it has worked for me.

Go on You Tube and do a search "Swarm Traps" There are quite a few instructive videos that should give you much more info concerning the use of your hive bodies. OMTCW

USMCEOD said:

Lemon Grass Essential Oil at the health food store use as lure. I've been lucky enough to catch 4 swarms in traps this year all about 4 feet high. I set them on top of fence posts and 55 gal barrels, easy to get to that way.. This is my first year trying and it has worked for me.

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Ditto on Lemon grass oil. Just put 2 drops on a cotton ball and put it in the box with the frames. Every 10 days put 2 more drops on the cotton ball. You don't need to put the box up very high; just 6 to 10 feet in the air is plenty high.

Phil

thanks guys I put two of them out. one on top of a rolling trash can, and then another on top of a horse jump. maybe I will get lucky.

awm said:

Hey guys. Ive had no luck buying any nucs so I thought Id give catching a swarm a try. Heres the equipment I have. 1 used hive body and most of the foundation already has built comb. And 1 new hive with 10 new frames/foundation. I also have 5 swarm lures. I was thinking about spliting the new and used frames in each hive. The main question that I have is since these are my only hives I dont want to make any modifacations to make them a permanent swarm trap. Is it ok if I just find something to set them up on, a couple feet off the ground or do they need to be in tree several feet up? Thanks for the help.

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I built two nuk size traps this year out of plywood scraps or whatever I could find around the shop. I put them in trees where I picked up swarms before. One has a small swarm in it. We are just waiting for it to develope a little before moving it. I put one old brood frame in it with four newer frames with foundation and added some lemon oil and rubbed it a bit with old wax. I've actually had better luck with the irrigation boxes. If the access holes are not plugged with something, I'll get at least two each year, and they are in the ground. The swarm in the nuk is about 8' up in a pepper tree.
Happy Swarming